Side-guard for inside of a flexible bag

ABSTRACT

A side-guard system for inside of a flexible bag is provided, including a first substantially cylindrical rigid member and a second substantially cylindrical rigid member configured to nest inside the first substantially cylindrical rigid member, wherein, a flexible bag can be inserted into the first substantially cylindrical rigid member with the open side of the bag hanging over and sandwiched in place between the first open top side the first substantially cylindrical rigid member and the one or more peripheral rounded lip handles of the second open to side of the second substantially cylindrical rigid member.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No.12/284,602, filed on Sep. 22, 2008, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of side-guards, andparticularly to side-guards and system for inside of flexible bags.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the important tasks in a back yard or garden is to clean upfallen leaves and Branches on a regular basis, especially after eachstorm in autumn and winter. To do this cleaning job, most people useplastic bags and garbage cans for collection and packaging of branchesand leaves. Normally, an open plastic bag is placed inside a garbagecan, and the person charged with the task of cleanup fills up theplastic bag with branches and leaves. This task of clean up is very hardbecause broken branches often times have very sharp points and sometimesthorns, which can tear and make holes in the plastic bag as they areshoved in the garbage can. Also, larger branches do not easily gothrough all the way and anytime one tries to force the branches by handinside the plastic bag, the sharp points of these broken branches willmake more damage to the plastic bag and make the clean up job moredifficult and time consuming. Furthermore, after filling up the plasticbag with branches and leaves, there still remains the challenge ofpulling out the plastic bag from the garbage can, which can furtherdamage the plastic bag causing the leaves and branches to spill outagain. This task of pulling out the plastic bag from the garbage can isespecially burdensome for the elderly and those that suffer from backpain, considering that the average filled plastic bag weighs about 30pounds, and has to be lifted up at least about 3 feet out of the garbagecan to be taken out. Many times, the damaged plastic will have to beplaced inside a second plastic bag to stop the branches and leaves fromfalling out of the tears and holes created in the cleanup resulting inwaste of plastic bags.

A variety and sizes of garbage bags are available in the market, andsome have been manufactured to be more flexible, durable, andtear-resistant, which cost more money than the regular type plasticbags. However, these bags are still vulnerable to tearing and punctureholes when confronted with the sharp points of broken branches andthorns. While there has been a trend to produce stronger andtear-resistant plastic bags, further improvements in the effectivenessand efficiency cleaning up a yard or garden are desirable, and theside-guard and system of the present invention addresses the existingproblems and provides related solutions and benefits.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of side-guards, andparticularly to side-guards for inside of flexible bags. The presentinvention is particularly adaptable for use by home-owners or gardenersto efficiently fill up garbage bags with any type of trash includingbroken branches and leaves when cleaning up a yard or garden. Theside-guard of the present invention can configured to any size forvarious bag sizes.

The present invention recognizes that a side-guard can be used toprotect the inside of a bag from sharp objects, making the job ofcleanup easier and more efficient. There are many different types ofbags, including plastic trash bags or bags made from different materialssuch as those made of fabric or burlap. The present invention cay be useto protect the inside of any type of bag form sharp objects.

One aspect of the present invention includes a side-guard for inside ofa flexible bag, including a substantially cylindrical rigid member ableto fit inside a flexible bag, the substantially cylindrical rigid memberincluding an open top side and an open bottom side and a peripheral sidewall, wherein the peripheral side wall is inclined toward the centralaxis of the substantially cylindrical rigid member; and one or morehandle means that are integral to or attached toward the open top sideof the substantially cylindrical member.

Another aspect of the present invention includes a side-guard system forinside of a flexible bag, including a first substantially cylindricalrigid member including a first open top side and a first open bottomside and a first peripheral side wall, wherein the first peripheral sidewall is inclined toward the central axis of the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member; a second substantially cylindrical rigidmember configured to nest inside the first substantially cylindricalrigid member, the second substantially cylindrical rigid memberincluding a second open top side and a second open bottom side and asecond peripheral side wall, and one or more peripheral rounded liphandles attached to the circumference of the second open top side of thesecond substantially cylindrical rigid member, the one or moreperipheral rounded lip handles configured to rest on the first open topside of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member; wherein, aflexible bag can be inserted into the first substantially cylindricalrigid member with the open side of the bag hanging over and sandwichedin place between the first open top side the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member and the one or more peripheral rounded liphandles of the second open to side of the second substantiallycylindrical rigid member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a torn bag with holes filled with branchesand leaves without the utilization of a side-guard.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of an intact bag filled with branches andleaves with the utilization of a side-guard.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of a torn bag with holes that is filled withbranches and leaves without the utilization of a side-guard being pulledout of a trash container.

FIG. 4 shows a front view of an intact bag filled with branches andleaves with the utilization of a side-guard, and an embodiment of theside-guard shown on top of the filled bag.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the side-guard.

FIG. 6 shows a ¼ cut perspective view of an embodiment of theside-guard.

FIG. 7 shows a front view diagram of a preferred embodiment of theside-guard.

FIG. 8 shows a front view diagram of a preferred embodiment of the firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic flat view of an embodiment of the firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member.

FIG. 10 shows a ¼ cut perspective view of an embodiment of the firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member.

FIG. 11 shows a front view diagram of an embodiment of the secondsubstantially cylindrical rigid member.

FIG. 12 shows a ¼ cut perspective view of an embodiment of the secondsubstantially cylindrical rigid member.

FIG. 13 shows a cross-section view of an embodiment of the side-guardsystem.

FIG. 14 shows a detail view of an embodiment of the side-guard systemwith the displaced air being shown with arrows.

FIG. 15A shows a front view of the second substantially cylindricalrigid member shown upside-down; FIG. 15B shows a front view of the firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member.

FIG. 16 shows front view of a bag being positioned over the second openbottom side of the second substantially cylindrical rigid member shownupside-down.

FIG. 17 shows a front and cross-section combination view of theside-guard system with the second substantially cylindrical rigid memberwith the bag shown being inserted into the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member, with the displaced air being shown witharrows.

FIG. 18 shows a front and cross-section combination view of theside-guard system with the second substantially cylindrical rigid memberwith the bag shown fully inserted into the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member.

FIG. 19 shows a front and cross-section combination view of theside-guard system with the second substantially cylindrical rigid memberwith the bag shown fully inserted into the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member with the bag filled with branches and leaves.

FIG. 20 shows a front and cross-section combination view of theside-guard system with the second substantially cylindrical rigid memberwith the bag shown being lifted out of the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member and leaving the bag filled with branches andleaves inside of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member.

FIG. 21 shows a front view of the first substantially cylindrical rigidmember with the bag shown being lifted off of the intact bag filled withbranches and leaves.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Introduction

The present invention recognizes that a side-guard can be placed insideof a flexible bag and be used to protect the inside of the bag fromsharp objects, and be easily removable from the inside of the bag afterthe bag is filled up, making the job of cleanup easier and moreefficient. There are many different types of bags, including plastictrash bags or bags made from different materials such as those made offabric or burlap. The present invention can be use to protect the insideof any type of bag form sharp objects.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the description proceeds and when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings. To gain a full appreciation of the scope ofthe present invention, it will be further recognized that variousaspects of the present invention can be combined to make desirableembodiments of the invention. Unless defined otherwise, all technicaland scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonlyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this inventionbelongs. Where a term is provided in the singular, the inventor alsocontemplates the plural of that term. The nomenclature used herein andthe procedures described below are those well known and commonlyemployed in the art.

I. A Side-Guard For Inside of a Flexible Bag

One embodiment of the present invention includes a side-guard for insideof a flexible bag, including a substantially cylindrical rigid memberable to fit inside a flexible bag. The substantially cylindrical rigidmember of the present invention may be made from any suitable rigid,flexible, or semi-flexible material such as plastic, rubber, metal,wood, paper, a combination thereof, and the like. The preferredembodiment of the present invention includes a substantially cylindricalrigid member made of rigid plastic. The substantially cylindrical rigidmember includes an open top side and an open bottom side and aperipheral side wall. The shape of the substantially cylindrical memberis not limited to any particular shape and does not have to be circularin configuration, but what is important is the presence of open top andbottom sides with a peripheral side wall enclosing the open center ofwhat resembles a cylinder, and may include other configuration such asoval, triangle, square, rectangle, trapezoid, polygons, and othergeometric shapes.

An important aspect of peripheral side wall of the present invention isthat the peripheral side wall is inclined toward the central axis of thesubstantially cylindrical rigid member. The incline of the side wall mayinclude a deviation from the vertical line, direction, or course of theperipheral side wall going from the open bottom side to the open topside. In such a configuration, the open top side is smaller indimensions that the open bottom side, and the peripheral side wall isinclined toward the central axis of side-guard. This configuration isimportant because it makes it easier to fill up a bag with theside-guard of the presented invention inserted therein with leaves,branches, or other debris. When a bag is being filled up, because of thebag's dimensions and effects of gravity, the bottom portion of the bagusually contains a larger volume of branches, leaves, or other debristhan the top portion of the bag, and the side-guard of the presentinvention, facilitates the filling up of a bag based on this naturalcircumstance. The inclined peripheral side wall of the present inventionmay be continuous, meaning the inclined angle of the side wall towardthe central axis may begin at the point of the open bottom side andcontinue to the open top side, or inclined angle of the side wall towardthe central axis may be discontinuous, meaning the peripheral side wallmay go up in a straight configuration for some distance, and then theinclined angle will begin and continue to the open top side. Preferably,the incline of the peripheral side wall is continuous, and the angle ofincline is between about 1 degree to 15 degrees, and more preferably theangle of the incline is about 5 degrees. However in the case of thediscontinuous embodiment, it is preferred that the side wall go upstraight about half way to the open top side and the angle of inclinebegin at bout the halfway point of the side wall similar to theconfiguration of the continuous inclined embodiment.

The present invention also includes one or more handle means that areintegral to or attached at the open top side of the substantiallycylindrical member. The handle means may be any handle means that aresuitable to act as a handle for the present invention for moving theside guard out of the flexible bag after use. Preferably, the handlemeans is a lip handle, such as a rounded lip handle, that is integral toor attached to the entire circumference of the open top side of thesubstantially cylindrical rigid member. Alternatively, the handle meansmay include one of more independent handles that are integral to orattached toward the open top of the side-guard. Also, the handle meansmay be integral to the side guard by removing a portion of theperipheral side wall, at one or more locations toward the open topportion, and creating a cavity into the side wall which can be used ashandles.

A preferred embodiment of the side-guard of the present inventionincludes an open bottom side with a diameter of about 24 inches, aperipheral side wall with a height of about 36 inches which has an angleof incline of about 5 degrees, and an integral peripheral rounded liphandle with a height of about 2 inches.

A preferred method of use of the side-guard of the present inventionincludes the step of providing the side-guard of the present invention,turning it upside down and placing it on the ground, providing aflexible bag and pulling the flexible bag over the upside downside-guard through the open end of the flexible bag such that the bottomend of the side-guard and the closed end of the flexible bag aresubstantially in contact, and turning over the side-guard and theflexible bag right side up wherein the side-guard is positioned in theflexible bag and ready for use in filling up the flexible bag. After thebag is filled up with branches, leaves, and other debris, the side-guardis easily pulled out of the flexible bag using the handle means leavingthe bag filled and intact.

II. A Side-Guard System For a Flexible Bag

Another embodiment of the present invention includes a side-guard systemfor a flexible bag. The side-guard system includes two separate partsthat are each similar in certain aspects to the construction andconfiguration to the side-guard for inside of a flexible bag describedabove in Section I. Those similarities are apparent and will not berepeated again in this section.

The side-guard system for inside of a flexible bag, includes a firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member including a first open top sideand a first open bottom side and a first peripheral side wall, whereinthe first peripheral side wall is inclined toward the central axis ofthe first substantially cylindrical rigid member. The side-guard systemalso includes a second substantially cylindrical rigid member configuredto nest inside the first substantially cylindrical rigid member (FIG.13). The second substantially cylindrical rigid member includes a secondopen top side and a second open bottom side and a second peripheral sidewall, and one or more peripheral rounded lip handles attached to thecircumference of the second open top side of the second substantiallycylindrical rigid member. The one or more peripheral rounded lip handlesconfigured to rest on the first open top side of the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member. In this configuration, a flexible bag can beinserted into the first substantially cylindrical rigid member with theopen side of the bag hanging over and sandwiched in place between thefirst open top side the first substantially cylindrical rigid member andthe one or more peripheral rounded lip handles of the second open toside of the second substantially cylindrical rigid member (FIG. 14).

Embodiments of the side-guard system can include a second peripheralside wall is substantially vertical and straight, which means that theperipheral wall can be exactly vertical and straight or slightlyinclined in one direction, e.g., by between about 1 to about 5 degrees.The second substantially cylindrical rigid member can include an openbottom side with a diameter of 22 inches, a peripheral side wall with aheight of 36 inches, and a peripheral rounded lip handle with a heightof 2 inches. The peripheral rounded lip handle of the second peripheralside wall can be configured as one handle that runs along the entirecircumference of the open top side of the substantially cylindricalrigid member.

In one embodiment of the side-guard system, the first peripheral sidewall may be continuously inclined from the open bottom side to the opentop side. The angle of incline toward the central axis of the firstsubstantially cylindrical member can be between 1 to 15 degrees, forexample 5 degrees. The first second substantially cylindrical rigidmember can include an open bottom side with a diameter of 24 inches anda peripheral side wall with a height of 36 inches. The first open topside of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member may include arounded crown that can be configured to run along the entirecircumference of the first open top side of the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member. The rounded crown can be used as a handle andcan provide strength and support. The rounded crown may be about ½ inchtall, can be configured in one or more sections, and may be shaped likea pipe or a partial pipe that is attached to the first open top side ofthe first substantially cylindrical rigid member.

Referring to FIGS. 15 through 21, the side-guard system for a flexiblebag described above can be used by following a series of steps by one ormore individuals. For example, the first substantially cylindrical rigidmember can be placed on the ground (FIGS. 15B), and the secondsubstantially cylindrical rigid member can also be placed on the groundin an upside-down orientation (FIGS. 15A). A garbage bag, from its openend, can be draped and positioned over the second open bottom side ofthe second substantially cylindrical rigid member (FIGS. 16). The secondsubstantially cylindrical rigid member and the bag can then be flippedover to a right-side-up orientation and inserted into the firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member (FIGS. 17). The circumference ofthe first open top side of the first substantially cylindrical rigidmember is preferably larger than the circumference of the secondsubstantially cylindrical rigid member, e.g., by between about 1/16 to 2inches, such that when the second substantially cylindrical rigid memberand bag is being inserted into the first substantially cylindrical rigidmember, any trapped air can escape out from the space created by thissize difference (FIGS. 17).

When the side-guard system for a flexible bag is going to be used, thebag can be sandwiched between the first and second substantiallycylindrical rigid members (FIG. 18), and various objects such asbranches leaves can be collected in the bag (FIG. 19). When the cleaningjob is finished and the bag is full, the second substantiallycylindrical rigid member can be pulled out of the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member, leaving behind the filled bag inside of thefirst substantially cylindrical rigid member (FIG. 20). The bag can thenbe securely tied, and the first substantially cylindrical rigid membercan be lifted off of the intact filled bag without any holes or tears onthe bag, which rests on the ground (FIG. 21).

All headings are for the convenience of the reader and should not beused to limit the meaning of the text that follows the heading, unlessso specified. Various changes and departures may be made to the presentinvention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited to thatspecifically described in the specification or as illustrated in thedrawings, but only as set forth in the claims. Although the inventionhas been described and illustrated with respect to exemplary embodimentsthereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that theforegoing and various other changes, omissions, and additions may bemade therein and thereto, without parting from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

EXAMPLES Example I A Side-Guard For Inside of a Flexible Bag

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7, this example provides an embodiment of aside-guard 100 for inside of a flexible bag, which includes asubstantially cylindrical rigid member 101 able to fit inside a flexiblebag, the substantially cylindrical rigid member 101 includes an open topside 102 and an open bottom side 103 and a peripheral side wall 101,wherein the peripheral side wall 101 is inclined toward the central axisof the substantially cylindrical rigid member 101; and one or morehandle means 104 that is integral toward the open top side 102 of thesubstantially cylindrical member 101.

Example II A Side-Guard System For a Flexible Bag

Referring to FIGS. 8 through 14 this example provides an embodiment of aside-guard system 300 for a flexible bag, which includes a firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member 200 including a first open topside 202 and a first open bottom side 203 and a first peripheral sidewall 201, wherein the first peripheral side wall 201 is inclined towardthe central axis of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member200; a second substantially cylindrical rigid member 210 configured tonest inside the first substantially cylindrical rigid member 200, thesecond substantially cylindrical rigid member 210 including a secondopen top side 212 and a second open bottom side 213 and a secondperipheral side wall 211, and one or more peripheral rounded lip handles214 attached to the circumference of the second open top side 212 of thesecond substantially cylindrical rigid member 210, the one or moreperipheral rounded lip handles 214 configured to rest on the first opentop side 202 of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member 200;wherein, a flexible bag 400 can be inserted into the first substantiallycylindrical rigid member 200 with the open side of the bag hanging overand sandwiched in place between the first open top side 202 the firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member 200 and the one or moreperipheral rounded lip handles 214 of the second open to side 212 of thesecond substantially cylindrical rigid member 210. The first open topside 202 of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member 200 mayinclude a rounded crown 204 that can be configured to run along theentire circumference of the first open top side 202 of the firstsubstantially cylindrical rigid member 200.

1. A side-guard system for a flexible bag, comprising: a first substantially cylindrical rigid member comprising: a first open top side and a first open bottom side and a first peripheral side wall, wherein the first peripheral side wall is inclined toward the central axis of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member; a second substantially cylindrical rigid member configured to nest inside the first substantially cylindrical rigid member, the second substantially cylindrical rigid member comprising: a second open top side and a second open bottom side and a second peripheral side wall, and one or more peripheral rounded lip handles attached to the circumference of the second open top side of the second substantially cylindrical rigid member, the one or more peripheral rounded lip handles configured to rest on the first open top side of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member; wherein, a flexible bag can be inserted into the first substantially cylindrical rigid member with the open side of the bag hanging over and sandwiched in place between the first open top side the first substantially cylindrical rigid member and the one or more peripheral rounded lip handles of the second open to side of the second substantially cylindrical rigid member.
 2. The side-guard system of claim 1, wherein the second peripheral side wall is substantially vertical and straight.
 3. The side-guard system of claim 2, wherein the second open bottom side has a diameter of 22 inches and the second peripheral side wall has a height of 36 inches, and the peripheral rounded lip handle has a height of 2 inches.
 4. The side-guard system of claim 1, wherein the one or more peripheral rounded lip handles run along the entire circumference of the second open top side of the second substantially cylindrical rigid member.
 5. The side-guard system of claim 1, wherein the first peripheral side wall is continuously inclined from the first bottom side to the first top side.
 6. The side-guard system of claim 5, wherein the first peripheral side wall is inclined toward the central axis of the first substantially cylindrical member by an angle of between 1 to 15 degrees.
 7. The side-guard system of claim 6, wherein the peripheral side wall is inclined toward the central axis of the substantially cylindrical member by an angle of 5 degrees.
 8. The side-guard system of claim 6, wherein the first open bottom side has a diameter of 24 inches and the first peripheral side wall has a height of 36 inches.
 9. The side-guard system of claim 1, wherein the first open top side of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member comprise a rounded crown that runs along the entire circumference of the first open top side of the first substantially cylindrical rigid member. 